Review of Alf Action Figure

Introduction

The 1980's had some unusual TV shows. There was V, and Dinosaurs, and Quantum Leap, and Fraggle Rock...weird was definitely in vogue. Enlisting the aid of a puppet, Tom Patchet and Paul Fusco brought us Alf, the lovable alien trapped on earth with the average American family.

Of course, this wasn't a new concept. The very first was My Favorite Martian, that was on from 1963 to 1966. Mork and Mindy used the exact same concept just a few years earlier. And not too long after, Third Rock from the Sun used a similar concept to great success.

But none of them had the secret sauce that was Alf himself. NECA is going about producing some interesting 80's and 90's licenses (including the aforementioned Dinosaurs), and their release of an Alf figure in a roughly 7" scale as part of their 'ultimates' line has been greatly anticipated.

This guy will cost you around $35, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***
Like most of the NECA figures, Alf comes in a window box with a flap, that can sit on a shelf or hang on a peg. You can see the figure and accessories, and the artwork on the package is attractive and clean. It's relatively collector friendly - you'll have to cut a couple plastic ties holding the figure in - and fits in with the design of the others in the series.

Sculpting - ****
While Ultimate figures are usually in a 7" scale, he is on the large size, standing just a hair under 6 inches tall. The character was about 3 1/2' tall, which would translate to about 4" or so if they wanted him to be about right standing next to other 7" figures. It's similar to the situation with the Gremlins, who are part of the Ultimates line up, but are also larger than a 7" scale would dictate. It's not a deal breaker by any means, but depending on who you'll be displaying him with, it's worth noting.

The detail work on the fur is excellent, and they've done a wonderful job using the sculpted hair around the joints to cover them, yet allow for movement. The various hands are sculpted to use with the accessories, as well as some standard poses.

The big flat feet will keep him standing in deep stances, and he can even stand on one foot, if you get the center of gravity just right. The basic wide-eyed expression works well for most situations. While he could move his eyelids on the show, the face on Alf was not that expressive, and this simple expression works for the character. The articulation of the lower jaw can be used to add some personality as well.

They even sculpted a couple of the warts on the sides of his snout, in about the right spot! The flipped hair is made from a soft material, mirroring his stylish look.

Paint - ***1/2
The basic brown fur has a wash that brings out the detail of the sculpting. Smaller details, like the teeth, tongue, and eyes, are relatively clean, but there's a bit of slop here and there.

The figure itself doesn't have a ton of detail work, however. Most of the detail paint is on the accessories, where the sandwich/cat looks terrific, and the small minutia on the ham radio is clean and sharp.

Articulation - ****
There's a bunch of joints here, ball and rotating hinge, plenty to make any articulation junkie happy. It's particularly impressive considering the sculpted fur could have made this sort of design unusable.

The neck has plenty of lean and tilt, and the jaw isn't just a simple pin. Instead, you can actually adjust it side to side, so it doesn't have to line up exactly with the upper mouth. This was often used as an expression of confusion or exasperation, and being able to do this is a nice addition.

There's shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knees, ankle, and torso joints, weaved under the sculpted fur. There's plenty of movement in all of them, and you should have no trouble creating natural poses.

Accessories - ****
There's five extra hands to go with the pair he comes wearing, and they swap pretty easily. They are sculpted to hold some of the other accessories.

Alf loved to eat, and there's a number of food items. There's a can of fake Pepsi, a bowl of popcorn, a 'cat sandwich', and the bag of slime balls. Again, excellent sculpts and paint all around, and while the cat isn't an exact match for Lucky, you get the drift.

He has both the sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt for dressing up. The shirt is quite easy to put on and take off, and I found myself really liking it - more on that in the next section when I discuss the 'outfit'.

There's a couple odds and ends too, including the framed picture and the ham radio. You can fit the microphone in one of the hands, but take care, because it's easy to break the stand.

Outfit - ***1/2
This is usually a category reserved for clothed figures, but because Alf has two outfit items, I thought I'd include it.

There's the shirt of course, and putting it on and taking it off is pretty simple. It also looks very good on him, and I'll be using it in the display.

There's also the sunglasses, a common item for him to wear on the show. The hair is sculpted to allow the arm of the glasses on his right to slip between it and the ear. It doesn't sit perfectly, but you can get it to look reasonable.

Fun Factor - ****
This is a really fun figure, with tons of posing and display potential. You can swap up the looks with the shirt and glasses, and use several of the accessories in your set up. He'll fit in nicely with other characters like Gizmo or E.T.

Value - **1/2
At around $35, he's at the usual NECA Ultimates price. It's about five bucks more than I like, but I also know that more obscure characters like this are hard to get produced at all.

Things to Watch Out For -
As I mentioned earlier, you'll want to take some care putting the microphone and/or stand in his hand. You can do it, but take your time to avoid forcing anything.

Overall - ****
Once upon a time we got random, unique figures in lines like Movie Maniacs, Now Playing, and Cult Classics. Sadly, we don't see that much any more, with most companies only doing series and lines that cover larger licenses with many potential characters.

Thankfully, NECA is keeping the love alive for the unique characters in their Ultimates line up. Getting an Alf figure wasn't something I ever expected, but they've not only delivered, they've done it with great quality and detail. And I can't wait to see what they do with Dinosaurs!

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ****
Accessories - ****
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ****

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth $35. Use my link and get an additional 10% off, plus free shipping!

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This is the first Alf action figure I've reviewed, with good reason. He's never been done quite like this before, making this a very unique addition to the Institute.

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